Thursday, May 31, 2012

This was probably the worst month as far as goals went. We found out that we were moving, lost someone that we loved, were out of town most weekends, and were incredibly busy. I didn't read a book this month, didn't get to work out as much (although my students and I had a Zumba party... which was super awesome). Our house looks more like a rent house because we are packing. I won't go into any more details because this just wasn't the best month.

BUT we are moving today!!! I can't believe we are moving back to Conway... Initially, I didn't like Conway at all. Too many bad memories associated with that place. However, there are too many wonderful things happening in our lives, therefore I am THRILLED to live there again! It's going to be nice to not have to worry about driving 2 hours for Starbucks or Target (tragic, I know!).

I am so grateful for the time we had here in Monticello. It was a wonderful first place to live as a married couple. I loved having my in-laws nearby (seriously!). They weren't the pushy annoying in-laws that most people had. If anything, they have been one of the biggest blessings in my life this past year.

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Today is the last time that I will see any of my students at school. My 8th-12th graders are gone. Technically, I don't have 7th graders anymore either (but for whatever reason, they like to come hang out in my room). It's hard to believe that an entire year has come and gone. I remember the first time I walked into my classroom, and how excited I was about the year ahead of me. I had no idea what I was getting myself in to.

Let's just say that this was definitely a rebuilding year for the DC choir. I'm pretty sure that I shared with you before that they had 6 different teachers in the past 2 years. The kids were used to instability, and this was the first year since 2008-2009 that they had only one choir teacher. I went in extremely optimistic, and I was convinced that this year wouldn't be THAT difficult.

I was wrong.

Never before have I had to rely so heavily on the Lord. I begged him to get me through the day. When all I wanted to do was to use choice words on the students who called me terrible names (on one occasion, I was called the "c" word), I closed my eyes, prayed for the Lord to give me the ability to forgive, and moved on. On the countless occasions where I was mistreated, I could hear the Lord whispering in my ear: "I love you. There is a purpose. Forgive them. My plan is greater than anybody else's." I've had to hold on to that hope (and to my Savior) this year. And he delivered me!

Another way that the Lord brought me through this year was through my high school students. Man, they were the most incredible kids. I learned so much from them, built wonderful relationships with them, and I am going to miss those kiddos more than they will ever know. There were also some colleagues who were SO helpful this year. Any time I had a question about handling a situation with students, parents (or other people...), they were 100% supportive, and were eager to assist in any way that they could. I am really going to miss a lot of them.

I know that I normally, I would look back on this chapter of my life and say "That was the worst year of my life." But this time, I'm choosing to hold on to the few good things about this year. Instead of thinking about when I was wronged, I will think about the precious students and co-workers who added so much joy to my life. It's just not good to dwell on the bad. And quite frankly, the "bad" doesn't deserve to be a part of my life any longer.

Monday, May 28, 2012

So I'm sure that the majority of you are at the lake (at least that's basically what instagram is telling me), and your're getting a savage tan/sunburn (unfortunately, I would be getting the latter of the two).

Well, get jealous people. The hubs and I are packing all day.

We're awesome. I know. :)

Our intention was to finish packing over the weekend, but with JoJo, everything changed. SO we are packing the rest of our house today. And we're going to make it fun (hello, Michael Jackson dance party).

Today's post is going to be a little bit different... Yesterday, I lost probably one of the most hilarious, wonderful people in the world, my husband's grandma, JoJo.

I haven't really had to deal with death. I lost a friend when I was in high school, but we weren't THAT close... JoJo has been my #1 fan since the day we met. She swore up and down that she just KNEW that I was going to marry her grandson from the moment she laid eyes on me at Cracker Barrel. She loved to hear all about drama (whether she knew the people involved or not), always wanted to go to the movies, and was known for leaving the movie theatre with popcorn all over her shirt. So instead of high fiving about Friday (because quite frankly, this hasn't been a great week), I am high fiving for JoJo, and listing my 5 favorite things about her.

1. We loved listening to music. DJ & I have spent hours putting together playlists for JoJo. Once we gave her the CD, we had to hop in the car and drive all around Southeast Arkansas so she could hear every song. Her favorite song of all time was "Angel" by Sarah McLachlan. That song was on every mix we made (we felt that it wouldn't be acceptable otherwise). She also loved Elvis, so we had to make sure to include him too.

2. She loved her grandkids. One year, she asked DJ what he wanted for his birthday. His response was: "I want to fly in an airplane for the first time." She flew him to Dallas that year, and they had a very memorable weekend. That's the kind of grandma I want to be someday.

3. Every person who had ever crossed paths with JoJo didn't have a bad thing to say about her. She was probably one of the most loved people in the world.

4. We would go to the movies all the time, and we would have a blast! She was probably the best movie critic of all time. If there ever was a time that I went to a movie she didn't recommend, I would walk out of the theatre saying "I should have listened to JoJo."

5. Her faith in God was such a beautiful thing. I don't think there was a day that we were together where she didn't talk about going to heaven, ESPECIALLY after Doozer (her sweet husband) passed away. She loved the Lord (and kind of had a mild obsession with the Jews, which we always found funny?) with all of her heart. She was an encourager, a servant, and an incredible woman of God.

This is probably one of my favorite pictures of her. It was taken at our rehearsal dinner, and she had to just "strike a pose" (which was typical of her).

Her dream of going to heaven finally came true- and I couldn't be happier for her!

Thursday, May 24, 2012

Back in January, I posted about my music library. It was a big hot mess. At that time, I didn't realize that I wasn't going to return to DC, so this project was honestly a labor of love, and it became a project that was my attempt to simplify someone else's life. Here are a few of the "before" pictures to refresh your memory:

The theme this week is "Mothers". I'm not a mom. I'm a teacher. But in a way, I feel like I have become a mom... to a whopping 150 kids. A lot of these kids don't have a mom, and it shows that they don't have a positive female role model in their lives. And it breaks my heart. A lot of my students NEED to be loved, and they don't receive it. Here are a few of my "babies" (7th graders).

Thursday, May 17, 2012

I hate keeping secrets. Especially really exciting ones. Like a few weeks ago, I found out that one of my good friends was getting engaged. And I couldn't talk to ANYBODY about it. I only had to keep that secret for 2 days.

Imagine keeping one for 3 MONTHS. Holy cow. It has been hard!!!! I mean, close family and friends know about it. But not everybody. However, I FINALLY get to share the news with you, my wonderful readers.

WE ARE MOVING!!!!

I recently announced my resignation at DC and shared that I would start grad school this summer. Well, after praying about it, DJ and I decided that I should go to school full time to get my masters in Music Education. Just last week, DJ got the most INCREDIBLE job offer at a corporation in Little Rock. What's awesome is that he was specifically praying for a certain salary, and God totally answered that prayer. He is good, isn't He?

We move in a whopping 2 weeks (gulp), so I am going to be quite busy for a little while! We have already started packing, and our house is looking super weird without any decor. Last night, as we were packing, I found myself getting a little bit emotional about the move... We are about to leave the place where our marriage began... Gosh, I'm NEVER this sentimental!

Anyways, we are super excited about the move! We will probably live in Conway (the location of my school), which is where I graduated from high school! Ah, memory lane...

That's my news. Sorry if you were hoping for a pregnancy announcement. Maybe you'll read about that in a few years. :)

Friday, May 11, 2012

This has quite possibly been THE longest week. It felt like Friday would never get here!!!! Thankfully, it arrived. Here are some of the nifty things that happened to me this week:

1. I FINALLY got to post this video on youtube- after attempting to for MONTHS. Please watch it to make all of the frustration worth while. :) It's of me and a student of mine (whom I ADORE).

2. A few weeks ago, my precious students threw this surprise party for me. And they gave me a bunch of AWESOME nail polish (they just know me too well). Here's the color!

3. I get to go somewhere special today... but it's a surprise. :) I'll tell you all about it on Monday. Pinkie Promise.

4. It was teacher appreciation week. Which means that a lot of students wrote me precious notes, brought yummy treats/meals to school, etc. I probably gained quite a bit of weight. But I don't care! I felt appreciated, dang it!

5. It's Mother's Day. I'm so blessed to have such a godly, precious mom. Each year, I become more grateful for her. She's so awesome. And beautiful. Here are my favorite pictures of us from my wedding day.

Thursday, May 10, 2012

The theme: Fiesta/Siesta.... So I didn't celebrate Cinco de Mayo because I was at a wedding (which is way cooler than Cinco de Mayo). So instead, I went with "Siesta". And this view is perfect for a siesta.